BJP’s stand on the issue of ‘Triple Talaq’ has made the party popular among Muslim women: Minister

New Delhi, April 20, 2017: Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Vijay Goel on Thursday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s stand on the issue of ‘triple talaq’ has made the party popular among Muslim women.

Goel said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “far sighted vision for the development of the nation” has appealed to every section of the society, according to a statement issued by the minister’s office.

“BJP’s stand on the issue of triple talaq has made them popular among Muslim women, who have suffered a lot due to this practice. In the Uttar Pradesh elections, our Muslim sisters had extended support to the BJP and broke the myth that Muslims don’t vote for BJP,” Goel said in the statement.

He further said that the party was committed to work for the upliftment of Muslims and resolve their issues constitutionally.

As per the release, Muslim women took part in the BJP rally on Thursday that started from Turkman Gate here. (IANS)

In India, earlier it was mandatory for Muslim women to travel with mahram if they wanted to go for Haj. However, now Muslim women aged above 45 will now be allowed to go for the pilgrimage without ‘mahram’ in a group of at least four.

“1300 Muslim women have applied to perform Haj without ‘mahram’ and women from different parts of the country from Kerala to north India, have expressed their wish to go for the Haj pilgrimage,” said PM Modi on Mann Ki Baat.

A five-member panel

Earlier too, Centre had recommended women above 45 years to embark on haj pilgrimage in a four-member group without a male relative.

A committee was formed by Union ministry of minority affairs to review the existing haj policy and suggest a framework for new rules for 2018-22. It listed several recommendations which included permitting women to go for the pilgrimage without a male relative.

1.4 lakh people from India participate in Haj every year. Pixabay

Controversy

In his last Mann Ki Baat address of the year on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached out to Muslim women, highlighting his government’s attempt at facilitating women’s travel for Haj pilgrimage without a male companion.

“For decades, injustice was being done to Muslim women but there was no discussion on it. Even in many Islamic countries, this practice does not exist,” the PM said.

“Our Ministry of Minority Affairs issued corrective measures and we eased this restriction by phasing out a tradition that had been in practice for the past 70 years,” Mr. Modi pointed out.

However, many claims that these rules are made by Saudi Arabia, not the Indian Government.

“It is the Saudi Haj authorities that have allowed any Muslim women above 45 years from any country without a Mehram to do Haj. It does not behoove the PM to take credit for what a foreign govt has done,” said AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi.

Saudi Arabia had updated the rules on haj back in 2015, as their embassy website shows.